Heretofore, as shown in FIG. 1 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-351421 (hereinafter referred to as JP2006-351421A), a power supply circuit is known, in which voltage boosters (a first current/voltage control device and a second current/voltage control device made up from chopper-type DC/DC converters) are disposed respectively at the output terminals of a fuel cell, and at the terminals (input/output terminals) of an electrical storage device.
By using the power supply circuit which is configured in the foregoing manner, since the voltage (applied voltage), which is applied to the load from the fuel cell and the electrical storage device, can be freely adjusted by the voltage boosters, an advantage exists in that a combined output power of the fuel cell and the electrical storage device can suitably be made to track with respect to a demanded power of the load of a system in which a fuel cell system is mounted, for example, a system in which load fluctuations are intense such as a fuel cell vehicle.
According to the above-described power supply circuit, because the voltage booster is used, at the output terminals of the fuel cell, the number of cells of the fuel cell can be reduced, and it is possible for the fuel cell equipment to be made smaller in volume and to realize a reduction in costs.